End of Tenancy Cleaning Checklist: Room by Room
The figures in the worked example are made up.
Cleaning is the most common reason deposits are disputed. A full room-by-room checklist, what the check-out looks at and how long each size of home takes.
- Category
- Lettings
- Who it is for
- Landlords, letting agents and tenants in England
- Time to set up
- An hour to adapt the checklist to each property
- Saves or earns
- About £145 each change of tenant
01The Problem
Cleaning came up in 54 per cent of the deposit disputes the Tenancy Deposit Scheme dealt with in the year to March 2025, more than damage, decoration or rent arrears. Most of those arguments are about the same few places: the oven, limescale in the bathroom, the inside of cupboards, the fridge, skirting boards and carpets.
The adjudicator doesn't ask whether the home is clean in general. They compare the check-out report with the check-in report, room by room. If the check-in says the oven was professionally cleaned and the check-out shows grease on the door, the tenant pays for an oven clean. If the check-in just says "clean", or there is no check-in at all, the landlord usually gets little or nothing.
So a good checklist does two jobs. It tells the tenant, or the cleaner, exactly what will be looked at. And it gives the landlord the same list to record against at the next check-in.
02The Cost
Take a two-bed flat let at £1,300 a month with a £1,500 deposit. The tenant leaves after two years. Nobody sent a checklist, so they cleaned for four hours and missed the oven, the inside of the cupboards, the extractor filter, the shower screen and the skirting.
The landlord books a full clean at £300 and claims all of it from the deposit. The check-in report from two years ago says "clean throughout", with a few photos and nothing inside the oven or cupboards. The adjudicator awards £120. The landlord's cleaner had no written spec either, missed the inside of the fridge, and the new tenant's move-in slipped by two days while it was put right, about £85 of lost rent. The landlord is down about £265 on one change of tenant: the £300 clean, less £120 back, plus £85.
03The Fix
Send the Checklist with the Leaving Pack
Tenants give two months' notice now, so there is time. Send this list, the check-out date and the check-in photos. A tenant who knows the oven will be opened usually cleans it.
Kitchen
Worktops, splashback and tiles degreased. Sink and taps descaled, plughole cleared. Inside and outside of every cupboard and drawer, with crumbs gone from the corners. Cupboard doors and handles wiped. Inside the microwave, including the turntable. Kettle and toaster emptied and wiped. Dishwasher filter cleared and the door seal wiped. Washing machine drawer and door seal cleaned and the door left open. Bin emptied and washed. Light switches, sockets and the top of wall units.
Oven, Hob and Extractor
Inside the oven, the door glass on both sides, the racks and trays, and the grill pan. Hob degreased, with burners or rings cleaned underneath. Extractor hood wiped inside and out, and the filter degreased or replaced. Pull the oven out if it slides, and clean the floor and sides. This is the single most claimed item, so take a photo of it.
Fridge and Freezer
Defrost the freezer the day before. Empty both, wash the shelves and drawers, wipe the seals, and leave the doors open if the power is off.
Bathroom
Limescale off the taps, shower head, shower screen, tiles and bath or tray. Grout and sealant scrubbed, and any mould treated. Toilet inside, outside, behind and under the seat hinges. Basin, plughole and overflow. Mirror and cabinet inside and out. Extractor fan cover. Floor including the corners behind the toilet.
Bedrooms
Inside wardrobes and drawers, including the tops. Under and behind the bed. Mattress turned and checked for marks. Skirting boards, door frames and the tops of doors. Radiators, including behind them where you can reach. Light fittings and switches. Curtains or blinds dusted, and any marks on walls wiped where it can be done without taking the paint off.
Living Areas and Hallway
The same as the bedrooms, plus sofa cushions lifted and crumbs removed, cupboards under the stairs, the front door both sides, and the letter box.
Floors
Hoovered, including the edges and under furniture, and hard floors mopped. Carpets cleaned if the check-in says they were professionally cleaned, or if there are stains beyond normal use. Do the floors last.
Windows
Inside glass, frames, sills and tracks. Outside glass only where it can be reached safely from the ground or a balcony.
Outside Space
Balcony or patio swept and washed down. Garden left as the check-in shows it, with the lawn cut, beds weeded and all rubbish gone. Bins emptied.
Leave Nothing Behind
Every belonging, food item and bag of rubbish gone. Leftover items can be charged as removal costs.
Know What Is Wear and Tear and What Is Dirt
Fair wear and tear is the decline you expect from normal living over the length of the tenancy: carpet flattened in a walkway, paint faded by the sun, small scuffs where furniture stood. Dirt is never wear and tear. Grease in the oven, limescale, mould from not airing the bathroom, crumbs in cupboards and dust on skirting are all cleaning. Damage, such as a burn or a red wine stain, is a separate claim. Damp or mould caused by a leak or a building fault is a repair, and the landlord's to fix.
Record the Start Properly
At each check-in, take dated photos and a short video of every room, and open the oven, fridge, freezer, extractor, cupboards and shower screen on camera. Record cleanliness separately from condition. Keep the dated cleaning invoice that lists what was done. Send the report to the tenant on move-in day and ask them to sign it or comment in writing within seven days.
Check Out Like for Like
Within a day of the keys coming back, in the same room order as the check-in, from the same angles and in similar light. Invite the tenant. An independent inventory clerk costs about £150 to £250 for a two bed and carries more weight than your own notes.
Price Each Item, Then Send It to the Tenant
List each cleaning item with its photo, the cost and the invoice or quote. Claim the cost of getting it back to the check-in standard, not more. If the home was only cleaned to a normal standard at the start, you can't claim a full professional clean at the end. Most tenants agree when they see side-by-side photos and a fair figure.
Give Your Own Cleaner a Written Spec
Use this checklist as the spec for the clean between tenants, with a reference photo of each room done right. Ask for eight to twelve photos from the same spots within 30 minutes of finishing. Agree that anything missed is fixed free within a set time, such as 48 hours.
Allow the Time
As a guide, a studio or one bed takes one cleaner about three to five hours. A two bed takes about four to six hours. A three bed takes about six to eight, and a four bed most of a day for a team of two. Add a third more for a home left in a bad state. Clean after the furniture has gone, not before.
04The Result
Before
No checklist, a £300 clean claimed and £120 awarded, and a move-in two days late: about £265 down
After
The tenant cleaned to the checklist, only the oven and limescale were left, and £95 was agreed from the deposit without a dispute
Cost
An hour to adapt the checklist, and a £120 clean before the next tenant that records the standard at check-in
Better Off
About £145 each change of tenant
The sums: after the change, the landlord's cleaner fixes the oven and limescale for £95 and gets it back from the deposit, so that costs nothing. The landlord pays £120 for a clean before the next move-in, which gives a check-in record that holds up next time. That is £120 against £265 before.
The Lessons
- The adjudicator compares check-out with check-in, so the check-in record decides the cleaning claim.
- Send the full checklist with the leaving pack. Most tenants clean what they know will be checked.
- The oven, limescale, cupboards and skirting are where most cleaning claims start.
- Dirt is never fair wear and tear, but a worn carpet or faded paint is.
- Claim only what it costs to get back to the check-in standard, with photos and an invoice.
- If a deposit point is unclear, check your own position with your deposit scheme's guidance or a lettings professional.
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